When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he told them, “Go through the Negev and then into the mountain region. See what the land is like and whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many. Is the land they live in good or bad? Do their cities have walls around them or not? Is the soil rich or poor? Does the land have trees or not? Do your best to bring back some fruit from the land.” Numbers 13:17-20
Moses sent scouts into the territory ahead of them to determine what the Israelites might be facing upon entering the land that had been promised to them. I think that he needed to know what he was up against before entering the land, however, this scouting mission was not to determine whether they were to move into the promised land. That decision had already been made and promised. Moses was just being a cautious and prudent leader, I think.
The scouts reported “giants in the land” and spread fear among the Israelites. Their negative worldview, their anxiety, was spread among a frightened people, and it resulted in a delayed inheritance.
Anxiety will do that. It can rob us of joy and success because it works on primal fears. Fear can stop us from attempting things of which we are very capable. But once it gets into our head, we can be in trouble.
We have heard stories this week of very capable, even world class athletes in the Olympics whose anxieties deprived them of great feats. Please understand, I cannot imagine the pressures these young athletes face, and I am by no means blaming them. But these are examples of opportunities lost due to self-defeating anxiety, which besets us all at various times.
Recognizing the role of anxiety is a first step in overcoming it. That is a difficult task, but we can be assured that God has given us the tools we need to defeat the anxieties we face.
Prayer: Lord, help us to see you when we are facing things bigger than ourselves, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 